US Envoy In ISIS Fight, Brett McGurk, Resigns Over US Withdrawal From Syria

US Envoy In ISIS Fight, Brett McGurk, Resigns Over US Withdrawal From Syria

Brett McGurk, the US special envoy to the anti-Islamic State group coalition, has resigned.

His resignation wraps up a chaotic week that saw the departure of
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Donald Trump’s stunning decision to
pull troops from Syria. McGurk’s resignation, effective December 31,
comes on the heels of Mattis’s decision to quit the Trump administration
over key disagreements with the US president, notably the Syria
withdrawal.  

Just last week McGurk, a Barack Obama appointee whom Trump kept on,
said “nobody is declaring a mission accomplished” in the battle against
IS just days before the president blindsided politicians and allies with
his announcement of victory against the jihadist movement.  

Trump who had postponed his holiday vacation as failed budget talks
triggered a partial US government shutdown again on Saturday said “ISIS
is largely defeated.”  “When I became President, ISIS was going wild,”
the president tweeted.  “Now ISIS is largely defeated and other local
countries, including Turkey, should be able to easily take care of
whatever remains. We’re coming home!”  

McGurk, 45, was set to leave his position in February, but reportedly
felt he could no longer continue in the job after Trump’s declaration
and on Friday evening informed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of his
intention to wrap up at year’s end.  His conclusion mirrored that of
Mattis, who was seen as a voice of moderation in the mercurial Trump
White House and quit after telling the president he could not go along
with the Syria decision.  

McGurk has served as the US envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat
ISIS, another acronym for the jihadist group, since 2015.  He also
served as the deputy assistant secretary of state for Iraq and Iran, and
worked under Republican George W. Bush as a senior official on Iraq and
Afghanistan.